Updates. In NYC next week. Tour stops. Next book cover changes.

I will be at Book Expo in New York City next week. This is an industry show, I don’t think there is anything open to the public, and I’m booked up with business stuff the whole time. So I won’t be doing any regular events or even playing tourist while I’m there.

I’ll have the full calender of my tour stops and cons for the rest of the year posted as soon as I get back. I just needed to figure a few things out schedule wise before posting. People have been asking, yes, I will be at DragonCon. I’m going to ALA too, but that is causing me to miss LibertyCon. I’ve got about a month of tour around the release of Son of the Black Sword, and I’ll post all those soon.

Speaking of which, Jim Butcher read it and loved it. He wrote a blurb for the cover. Jim is a very talented author, I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, so that was pretty neat. Beyond the blurb he gave me a bunch of feedback on the plot. Jim got what I was trying to do and what I’m working towards. He’s a perceptive guy. 🙂

The basic black cover is now the cover for the hard back. The Larry Elmore painting is now a full color art page in the front with the maps. This was one of those marketing decisions that the author didn’t have much to do with. There was a bunch of discussion. I trust my marketing people, so if that’s what they say to do, that’s what we’ll do.

People ask me how much say an author has over their cover. At first? Zip. And by the time you are successful enough that your opinion actually does count, that means you’ve sold enough books that you trust the people who sell them for you.

That said, this picture is still totally bad ass, and I’m glad it is in there as a glossy art page. (I’m also putting it on my wall in a nice frame).

33 thoughts on “Updates. In NYC next week. Tour stops. Next book cover changes.”

I’m one of the artists for Castalia House and we do allow interaction between the authors and the artists during the cover design process. I routinely exchange emails with them, or at the very least the editor will get their opinion of the various concepts and let the author chose the one they like the most.

This is one of the reasons authors like working with us (and other independent publishers) as they have more input in the process. As the artist I like it as well as it has almost universally been a positive thing and I get advance copies of the book to read by some of my favorite authors.

Thank you. It’s been a lot of fun working with some really good writers. I also suggest you check out http://www.castaliahouse.com/ and the Quantum Mortis series in particular for some classic and fun sci-fi.

Personally, I like the simplest covers best. I like to imagine for myself what the characters look like. That said- I LOVE art inside the books, so the glossy insert is awesome too. Pretty sure I’ll get the hardcover of this one. Neat. 🙂

Am hoping you’re coming to GenCon – it will be my first time and I have a ticket for the BFAA presentation/Road Show (where I presume Son of the Black Sword will be plugged). I will buy a dead tree version of SOMETHING that you can sign if you’re there.

And if your book tour takes you to Kansas City (oh please) I volunteer to be your personal BBQ tour guide.

I have to admit, I like the old cover better. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I liked my books with an illustration on the cover, rather than just a solid color with maybe some kind of logo. I dislike this new trend.

I guess Baen knows what sells, but I’m glad the illustration will still be in the book.

I really like the new cover. In fact, I think I actually prefer it. (I usually prefer a nice illustration on the cover, but in this case I think it gives it maybe an older feel rather than a more modern one.) I can see how the new one would appeal to a wider potential audience. But it is pretty cool to still have the illustration on the inside.

The image looks generally awesome. Just a note. On my smartphone, the arms and posture of the man in front look somewhat unnatural. And the sword fades into the background, giving the impression of someone masturbating… Or it could just be me.

I like the old one, but I like the new one, too. I can see how it would be easier to brand as a series than the old one. But I also like the idea of having a glossy art page inside the book. Personally, I’d like to see a return to the concept of interior illustrations in novels. 🙂

As an older guy I’m loving this new website. I have also read the eARC for SoTBS and I’m wondering what stop on your tour will be closest to South Carolina. I would truly love to have a book signed by TILOH, not to mention spend a moment talking with him. It may even bring my reputation up a couple of levels.